East Jordan restaurant specializes in broasted chicken, American fare

March 09, 2012|Mark Lindsay Saturday staff writer

Mark Lindsay/Saturday

Editor's note: Because of reporter error, there were several pieces of incorrect information in this article, which appeared on page 4 of Saturday March 10, 2012. Chicken-N-Stuff is owned by the Nierman family. Justin Nierman is head cook, and Kayla Nierman is general manager. Winter hours are 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and its phone number is (231) 536-7300. The article has been updated to reflect these changes.

EAST JORDAN -- In East Jordan, one local family is impacting the community through food and the restoration of a popular location.

Chicken-N-Stuff is a home-style restaurant and take-out in East Jordan. Holly Nierman renovated the space, previously occupied by Jan's Cafe, which closed several years ago, and opened a unique new restaurant.

"We chose this space because it's a spot that my family has spent a lot of time at," Nierman noted.

The Nierman family relocated to the area more than 20 years ago with the dream of raising their family in a small Northern Michigan community. Holly's husband, Allan Nierman, accepted an opportunity to relocate for work and their dream became a reality.

"We had spent many summers at the East Jordan marina right in front of the restaurant location, eating in prior occupants' establishments," Nierman said.

It was a natural location choice once they realized it was available, according to Nierman. The unique theme idea was grounded in the desire to bring a little taste of downstate food to the north.

"There aren't a lot of small chicken places up here, and none that we know of that offer this type of home-style food and take-out chicken," Nierman noted.

The family all has a hand in the day-to-day operation of the restaurant, although Nierman and her husband both have other jobs. Their two children work at the restaurant, Kayla as general manager and Justin as head cook.

"I think we have a real family business feel, and part of the reason we opened a restaurant was so we could offer our children work," Nierman said.

Along with the desire to maintain a family feel to their business, the Niermans want to be active in the community and participate in seasonal events. The restaurant won an award for its chili during last year's soup cook-off in East Jordan.

"We have a lot of fun with things like that, and we also want people to try our food," Nierman said.

They also offer special extended hours at the restaurant during city events, such as the upcoming fishing tournaments and opening day of rifle hunting season. The restaurant offers a full breakfast menu, and makes it available as early as 5 a.m. on special days such as those.

"We have had a very good response and hope it becomes a regular yearly part of those events that people enjoy and return for," Nierman noted.

Chicken-N-Stuff also offers a wide variety of regular American style food, from sandwiches to seafood. They offer a Friday night fish fry and other weekly specials depending on the season.

She also pointed out that they have already established a good amount of regular return diners for many of their menu items.

The specialty of the restaurant is their chicken. Available in buckets to-go in a variety of combinations, or as a dine-in meal, the broasted chicken is the signature dish they hope to become known for. They also offer their chicken in a variety of other menu items including wings, sandwiches and other treats.

"We feel like we have a very unique and original chicken that people will enjoy a lot," Nierman noted.

The restaurant is located at 101 Mill St. in downtown East Jordan. Regular winter business hours are 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.